The invention relates generally to agricultural implements and, more particularly, to an agricultural implement with a pivoting tool frame.
It is well known that to enhance agricultural performance from a piece of land, a farmer cultivates the soil, typically through a tilling operation. Common tilling operations include plowing, harrowing, and sub-soiling. Modern farmers perform these tilling operations by pulling a tilling implement behind a motorized tractor or other work vehicle. Depending on the crop selection and the soil conditions, a farmer may perform several tilling operations at different times over a crop cycle to properly cultivate the land to suit the crop choice. In one type of tilling operation, rows of ground engaging tools are pulled through soil to break up clods or lumps of soil, as well as old plant material, to provide a more amenable soil structure for planting, and to level the soil surface.
Certain implements may include a front row of ground engaging tools and a rear row of ground engaging tools connected to a single frame. As may be appreciated, in such conventional implements when one row of ground engaging tools contacts an obstacle, such as a large rock, both the front row of ground engaging tools and the rear row of ground engaging tools may be raised above the soil surface. Consequently, the frame may be loaded with the full weight of the front row of ground engaging tools and the rear row of ground engaging tools, which may be substantial (e.g., up to 8,000 pounds, or more). Unfortunately, such substantial loading may reduce longevity of the frame.